May 26th, 2012

Author: TomC

In the event you have not heard about Andrey Malanichev, I would encourage you to make his acquaintance by watching the video above. He is a frighteningly strong Russian powerlifter who tips the scales at a lean 300 pounds and has already established himself as one of the greats in his sport. In the video, Malanichev walks 1014 pounds (460 kg) out of the rack and, without any fanfare, proceeds to squat the weight deeply for a double. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s over half a ton on his back. Half a ton. He does this wearing a belt, a single ply squat suit, and some knee wraps. Please read this post if talk of squat suits is something unfamiliar.

One of the most disturbing things about this video is just how easy Malanichev makes it look. Note the bar speed of his ascent. He comes back up faster than he descended and there is no doubt that he will finish each rep. The only thing missing is for him to yell, "I wanna hold it!" before racking the barbell. Perhaps he was discussing that omission at the end of the video.

Also impressive is Malanichev’s ability to walk the weight out of the rack and demonstrate complete control over it. A common sight in powerlifting is a monolift where the supports swing out of the way prior to a lifter beginning the squat. This enables the lifter to stay in place and to assume a very wide stance. While there are many reasons to use a monolift for training and competition, there is something especially cool about watching Malanichev walking the weight out, squatting it, and putting it back. Enjoy the video and enjoy your lifting.